Fear and Loathing in San Francisco: Hunter S. Thompson’s Savage Journey to Gonzo

Why is the wild, woolly writing of Hunter S. Thompson, the legendary Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas author, still so urgently relevant today? By inventing a whole new genre—”Gonzo journalism”—he, and the brilliant minds he influenced (Joan Didion, Tom Wolfe, Norman Mailer), forever changed the “fourth estate,” and the way we understand and consume real-life stories. In the ”superhero origin story” (Joel Selvin) Savage Journey , Peter Richardson takes us for a ride through Thompson’s weird journey to Gonzo: one that took its first steps in San Francisco, and that gave birth to some of his most indelible–and, indeed, politically prophetic–writings. This conversation between Richardson and Sam Quinones, the National Book Critics Circle award-winning chronicler of America’s drug wars and epidemics, is a must-see for anyone who cares about the hairpin twists and turns of American history, culture, and storytelling.

The bookstore partner for this session is Books Inc.! Buy the books online on their website, at Bookshop.org, or purchase them in person at the Festival. More information here.

Book signing information: Books Inc. Tent at the Bookstore Blv (corner of Allston & Milvia in the Outdoor Fair) at in the park, 2:15 PM

Sponsored by Reed Schmidt